How Did I End Up Here?
by Mushrambolover
Summary: A week ago I was madly in love with Inuyasha. Now… I’m not. A week ago I hated Kikyo. Now… I don’t. A week ago I was impassive to Kouga. Now… I’m not.
1. Chapter 1

How did I end up here?

Just one week ago I was on a quest for the sacred jewel shards, alongside Inuyasha, Sango, Kirara, Miroku, and Shippo. And now… I'm here.

Three years have gone by since I found Inuyasha bound to the sacred tree. Since then, I've developed my priestess powers, made my senses shaper, and gown into a woman of 18.

But I do know HOW I got here, physically, just not mentally.

A week ago I was madly in love with Inuyasha. Now… I'm not.

A week ago I hated Kikyo. Now… I don't.

A week ago I was impassive to Kouga. Now… I'm not.

So what exactly happened between now and a week ago? I'll show you.

* * *

"Kagome? Where are you going?" Sango asked me.

I stopped and turned around to answer the other woman, "I'm going to find Inuyasha. He's been gone for too long."

Sango gave me a discouraging frown and said, "Just be careful, okay?"

"Okay," I simply replied and turned back around, walking into the forest.

I had been walking for about 15 minutes, just walking along the dirt path through the forest when my thoughts wondered to what Sango had said. 'Just be careful, okay?' Did she really mean my physical well-being, or my mental well-being? It's true that when Inuyasha runs off like he did, it's usually because he knows that Kikyo's around.

He probably was with Kikyo… that dog.

My mind kept pondering the subject when I heard Inuyasha's voice. He sounded… like he was in pain! I ran to the groans and when I finally reached the source, I felt like my heart would split into millions of pieces.

There, before my very eyes, was Inuyasha and Kikyo… making love.

I burst out into tears and ran as quickly as I could from the repulsing scene. I heard Inuyasha calling Kikyo's name in passion, and her calling right back. That made me cry harder and run faster. I had no idea which direction I was going, nor did I care. I just wanted to get as far away from them as I possibly could. I started crying even harder, if that is possible, and I started running blindly, bumping into trees and tripping over roots.

I had to of been running for a good twenty minutes when I finally hit a tree so hard that I had to sit down. I wanted to keep running, but my body was exhausted. I don't remember anything else so I assume that I cried myself to sleep.

I woke up many hours later on soft, comfortable furs. I wondered if I had possibly died in my sleep, but thought better of it, and sat up. I looked around and saw an unfamiliar setting. At first, I assumed that some villager found me and brought me to their village, but then I saw the curious-looking wolf at the end of the bed.

I was confused for a moment, wondering if my mind was playing tricks on me, but then I took in the room as a whole. I was in the corner of the huge, airy room, on the bed of furs, which looked big enough for quite a few people. The floor was mostly flat rock, but some spots were covered with dried grass. The walls were also flat rock along with the roof, when it finally all clicked: Kouga's den.

This was perfect! I could be isolated for a little while and not have to see… Inuyasha. I started crying because the name hurt my heart, stabbing it again and again. The wolf at the end of the bed walked across the furs and sat right next to me. It whined and started cuddling my side. I couldn't help myself, so I hugged the wolf close and cried into its neck.

I stayed like that until I heard the voice that always made me feel loved… Kouga's. No matter how much I rejected him, he still loved me. That always made me smile.

The Wolf Prince walked into the room and looked at the wolf and me. He said something in the wolf language to the wolf I was hugging and the wolf gently pulled away from me and licked my cheek, bringing a light smile to my face. I watched the wolf leave and then looked to Kouga, who was now sitting at the edge of the furs.

"What wolf was that?" I asked.

"Ryouta," Kouga replied. "I asked him to watch you while I was gone."

"Oh," I was slightly embarrassed, for I knew that Kouga could smell my tears.

"Why were you crying?"

There it is. See? I knew he couldn't miss the 'stench' Inuyasha hated. "I'm sorry if you're offended by the smell…"

"Offended by the smell?" Kouga tipped his head slightly to the left, just like a puppy.

"Well… Inuyasha says that tears have a horrible smell," I could barley say HIS name aloud.

"They aren't very pleasant to smell… but you're wonderful scent is so wonderful, I can't focus on any other smell…" he smirked. He was always trying to sweet talk me…

I slightly blushed at his statement and suddenly found my hands very interesting.

"You still haven't answered my question…"

"Oh, right…" I felt like crying again, "I'd rather not talk about it…"

"Did mutt-face do something stupid?"

I nodded.

"Then stay here as long as you like," he gave me a genuine smile, and I couldn't help but think of how handsome he was at that moment.

* * *

A/n: So… how is it so far? I'd love for you to tell me…. Please! I can take flames and praise since this is like, what? My fourth fic? It is! Holy Crap! Anyways, this is just the beginning, and a small taste of what is to come.

And for those of you that are wondering, 'Why didn't Inuyasha smell Kagome when he and Kikyo were making love?' Well, in the first episode when Inuyasha thinks that Kagome is Kikyo, he says that she has Kikyo's scent. So since Inuyasha was so…engrossed in Kikyo's smell at the time, he probably wouldn't have noticed Kagome's VERY similar one.


	2. Chapter 2

Kouga comforted me with small talk and praise for a little while until my stomach started growling profoundly. He looked at me, laughed, and said bluntly, "You hungry or what?"

I was a little embarrassed, but I nodded. The last time I ate was breakfast… we were making lunch when I went to go find Inuyasha.

My heart throbbed once again. The emotional wound still hurt.

"I thought you'd be. It's just past dinner… but I suppose I could find you something to eat," he stood and offered me his hand. I took it and we walked out of the room and down a long, torch-lit hallway, and past many other rooms.

When we came to a part of the cave I recognized, the front room right behind the waterfall, Kouga told me to sit on a patch of dried grass and wait.

He returned a few moments later with a small plate of food. "Hakakku saved this for you." He said as he handed me the plate. All there was on the plate was raw meat, which I gave a disapproving look.

"Uh... Kouga? Humans can't eat raw meat…" I looked up at him with an apologizing look.

"Than how do you eat?" he gave me that puppy look again, making me smile.

"We cook it."

"Cook it?"

"Yes… we put it on a fire until it's a brown color, and almost all the red is gone."

He was silent for a moment, contemplating the situation and asked, "Can you cook it over the fire outside?"

"Probably… do you have something sharp I can put it on, so I don't get burned?"

"Does a spear work?"

"Yes."

"Okay, come with me then," he swooped me into his arms and ran through the waterfall, not even getting a drop of water on us. He cascaded down the side of the rocky mountain to a circle of wolves, who were sitting around a warm fire.

The wolves acknowledged us, but were watching us with strange looks when I put the meat on the spear and over the fire. One finally got the courage to ask Kouga what the heck I was doing, and got a brief explanation, to which the wolves were stunned.

They watched me intently, still stunned as to what I was doing to my meat. When the meat was finally cooked properly, I took it off the hot spear and wondered how I should go about eating it. I figured that wolves didn't have forks or chopsticks, so I tore off small pieces and ate with my hands.

When I was about halfway done, I noticed that Kouga was looking at my meat, so I asked him if he wanted to try it.

He hesitated, but nodded his head and took a piece from my hand and popped it into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed, then grinned.

"That was delicious," his eyes were wide and he went into thought. "I think everyone should try that…" He got up and ran in his whirlwind up the mountain and to the cave. No more than ten seconds, he was back with a sack full of raw meat. He grabbed the spear I used to cook my meat and stuck a new piece on it. The wolves looked at him strangely, but got the idea and followed suit.

All the wolf demons cooked their meat and pigged out, loving the taste of cooked meat. When they finished, refreshingly satisfied with their meal, they sat around the fire once again and struck up a conversation. They began in the wolf language, so I sat there… confused. The wolves abruptly stopped talking and looked at me. I looked to Kouga and gave him a look that said, 'What the heck are they asking me?'

Kouga gave a chuckle and said a phrase in the wolf language to the others then looked to me and said, "We're sorry. We didn't realize that you didn't understand us."

My mouth formed an 'O' and I asked what they intended to ask me.

"We were asking you what country you came from," a wolf demon across the fire said. "Kouga told us that you told him you came from a different country."

I thought for awhile and answered them, "I come from…uh…" I said the first thing that popped into my mind, "Canada."

"Canada?" the wolves asked.

"I've never heard of… 'Canada.'" Kouga tipped his head to the side. "Do you ever go back there?"

"I do. I go back quite often, actually," Crap. I shouldn't have said that… he's going to want to see it… or ask me when I go…or ask me to tell them about it… CRAP!

"You do?" Kouga's eyes widened for a second, something –Inuyasha- would never do. That dog never showed his emotions. I scowled inwardly. "Can you tell us about it?" See? There it is again. This wolf somehow always knows what I don't want him to ask! Eh, I guess he can't help it…

"Um... well… I don't know what you want to know…" let's see… how can I get out of this situation?

"Tell us about your family!" A wolf demon next to Kouga suggested.

I can handle that. "Well, I have a brother… and his name is Souta. I also have a mom and grandpa… and my father died a little after Souta was born…"

"You don't have to talk about it if it makes you sad," Kouga looked deep into my eyes, somehow comforting me.

"I'm okay with it. I was too young to really know my father anyway," I smiled back at him.

"What about your friends?" another wolf demon asked. Man, these wolves are really curious…

"Well... I have three best friends, Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi. I also have a close guy-friend, Hojo."

Kouga looked a little peeved after I said 'guy-friend' and I felt genuinely loved. At least someone was jealous and didn't take me for granted. I didn't realize it, but I yawned. I guess I did feel quite tired from the day's activities…

And Kouga knew it. "Let's get you in bed…" At first, I felt like I was being treated like a child… but strangely, it was nice. Kouga really cared for me…

He stood and offered me a hand. I took it, and he lifted me in his arms, and headed up towards that cave. While walking in the hallways, I feel asleep in Kouga's arms, and I slept peacefully.

When I awoke the next morning, I was in the same room as when I first arrived. I sat up and stretched, looking for some food or someone. And once again, there was the wolf from before, Ryouta, sitting at the end of my bed. I smiled and gestured for him to come towards me. He did, and I hugged him, my way of thanking him for yesterday. When I pulled back I started to rub his brown ears, which he seemed to enjoy. I giggled a bit, enjoying Ryouta's company, and scratched his back.

After a few minutes of this, a woman walked into the room. She smiled at us and said, "I'm here to ask you if you'd like to take a bath and have a change of clothes before breakfast."

I was surprised, but said yes and asked for her name.

"My name is Midori," her green eyes seemed pure and sincere, I couldn't help but wonder how she got such green eyes. "You're name is Kagome, right?"

"That's right," I gave a small smile and asked, "Where did Kouga go?"

"On his morning hunt," she gestured for me to follow her. "Kouga told me to get you once you woke up."

As we reached the front den, Ryouta went past the waterfall and out of sight, and Midori took me into another hallway in which I had never been. We walked in an awkward silence until we reached a hole covered by a bear skin. I noticed the steam coming from under the bear skin and decided that this must be a hot spring. Midori lifted the skin out of the way for us to pass and I turned out to be right.

The spring was bigger than I thought it would be, and more crowded than I thought it would be. At least they were all female wolf demons… I don't think I could've taken a bath with males…

We undressed and entered the hot spring, where we settled in a circle of other wolf demons. They looked from me to Midori and back, giving Midori questioning faces. They could probably smell my human scent, just like Kouga and… Inuyasha.

It still hurt.

The wolves spoke in their language to Midori, and I pretended not to hear them by ducking my head underwater and washing myself.

I watched them in the corner of my eye and waited. From their body language and faces, it looked like an argument- an extremely vivid argument.

Midori yelled at them, then turned to me and smiled. "I had to explain Kouga's orders… sorry."

"They won't eat me… right?"

The other women stared at me wide-eyed and Midori looked distraught. I looked at them and back at Midori, wondering what exactly they were thinking.

"We haven't eaten a human since Kouga met you," a demon with dark brown hair and green eyes sitting across from me said. "He came back here and forbid us from even tasting human flesh."

I sat there, wide-eyed as the rest of them, and smiled. Kouga really did care for me, another reason why he's better than… THAT DOG.

"I had to explain who you were, Kagome. Everyone in our tribe has wanted to meet you since Kouga came back and declared his love for a human woman. Plus, he told us that you defeated the birds of paradise. We owe you a lot for that," Midori reassured me.

I felt a lot better after that, but I was still a little shy.

The conversations were pretty normal, which surprised me, I didn't think that wolf demons would talk about things humans did… But then, the conversation led to this: wolf cubs.

"Hey, Akane? When is your cub due?" Midori asked a girl with red hair, and no stomach.

"She's pregnant?" I asked. "You don't look pregnant…"

"I'm only a couple of weeks in," Akane answered.

"And you already know that you're pregnant?" I asked.

"Uh… yeah… my mate and I… well, you know… about two weeks ago," Akane went red from embarrassment.

"How long does it take to have the cub?" I asked.

"Usually five months," Midori answered me this time.

My eyes bulged, "five months?!"

"Uh, yes. How long does it take for a human?" another demon asked.

"Most of the time it takes nine months!"

"Really?" all the women said in union, tilting their heads to the side.

"Really."

"So, when you and Kouga have cubs, will it take five months or nine months?" Midori asked.

I was speechless.

"Kagome?" Akane waved her hand in front of my face, "Are you okay?"

I still couldn't say anything, but the conversation continued with the other women's opinions on how long it would take for 'our' cubs to be born.

"I say five months! It will be half demon, so five months!"

"I say nine months! It will be carried in a human, so nine months!"

Midori waited as they battled it out and cut in with, "I think it will take seven months to be born."

The demons looked at her with strange looks until Akane asked, "Where the hell did you get THAT number?"

"It's right in-between five and nine… so… seven."

The others agreed with this and decided on seven months, and finally noticed that I hadn't spoken.

"Kagome? Is the hot water getting to your head or what?" Midori asked me.

I snapped out of my daze and answered her, "Uh, yeah. I think I'd better get out…"

After getting out, Midori and I dried ourselves off and she picked up two sets of clothes and showed me how to put mine on. I asked her what I should do with my school uniform, and she told me that she'd have it washed and returned to me later.

I looked down on myself and briefly wondered how I looked. My new 'wolf demon outfit' had a white rabbit fur skirt, a thin white wrap for the bottom of my feet, and form-fitting blue armor for a top. It really didn't stand out, most everyone's outfit was the same, and the only differences were the colors and different kinds of furs.

I looked at Midori, who was wearing the same thing, except her armor was as green as her eyes. She shook her red-brown hair, sprinkling me in excess water, and tied her hair into a tall ponytail, much like Kouga's. I dried my hair as best I could, and left it down. Midori led me out of the hot spring's room and down the hallway. We reached the front den again and sat on a patch of dried grass.

I talked with Midori and a few other demons I recognized from the spring and pervious encounters until Kouga and a pack of male demons came in with five large does and a cluster of small rabbits.

I flinched at the sight of the dead does, which had claw marks running down their sides. No doubt it was a quick death…

Kouga dropped the doe he carried in and walked over to me, pulling me to my feet and tugging me to the head of the lines of sitting wolves. I briefly wondered if this was the 'head of the table' for wolves. I was proven correct when the wolves went silent and looked to us, waiting for something….

I looked at the two lines of sitting wolves and wolf demons, there had to be more than fifty, not including the cubs and wolves. It amazed me that there was such harmony here, and everyone seemed to be at peace.

Kouga started to speak as he pulled me closer to him, keeping an arm around my shoulders, "For those of you that wondered who my human woman is, this is her; Kagome, the woman who saved us from the birds of paradise, and is also after Naraku."

I blushed, embarrassed by the wolves' looks, and how Kouga held me so close to him in such a loving way…

Kouga cut off his piece of meat, and grabbed a piece from a sack he had already cooked for me. He was so thoughtful…

I stayed by Kouga as we ate and talked with him and the surrounding wolves. He taught me a few words in the wolf language, and I can now recognize Kagome, Kouga, cub, and food in their language. Kouga even introduced me to his small family. He had two younger sisters, Cho and Kimiko. They looked a lot like Kouga, black hair and blue eyes, and even had his toothy wolf-smirk. I felt so at home with all the wolves, I felt as if I could stay here forever-

But I shouldn't think like that! I'm just gonna stay here until I can get over Inuyasha!

Damn. It still hurts to say THAT DOG'S name.

After eating, a small group of males went to the morning patrols of the territory; and the women with children went out of the caves to let their children run around. I wondered what I could do here…

"What do you want to do?" Kouga asked me. He must be a mind reader…

"I don't want to impose on anyone…" I said softly, "is there anything I can do to help around here?"

"You sure?" I nodded my head. Kouga thought for a moment then called Midori over, "Can you take Kagome with you? She says that she wants to help out and I'm going to train the older cubs today…"

"Sure," she gestured for me to follow her and I did, waving to Kouga as we left the caves. "So what can I help out with?"

"Well, I take care of cubs and sometimes I wash furs and such," Midori hoisted me on her back and jumped downward to the ground.

"Don't the mothers of the cubs take care of their own cub?"

"I take care of the ones that have no mom to take care of them. Either their mom died in childbirth or some other cause. Or if both their parents are dead."

I felt sorry for asking, but a smile was brought to my face when Midori was tackled to the ground by a group of young cubs. When I got control over my laughter I counted the group, four male cubs…

Midori growled and they quickly jumped off of her and stood straight. I quieted my laughter and was surprised to see Midori smiling at the boys.

"Were you good while I was gone, soldiers?" Midori asked the boys.

They answered with a 'yes Midori' and saluted her. I was wondering to myself if this was a game or if they were for real…

"Soldiers, I want you to meet my new assistant, Kagome," she directed their attention to me. "She's Kouga's woman, so treat her with respect!"

I was scared, because Midori sounded so serious… but then I saw her smile, and concluded that this really was just a game.

"Kouga's woman?" the boys said in awe, mouths wide open and eyes as big as saucers. They dropped their 'soldier stance' and started tugging at my skirt, asking me a million questions.

"You're a human, right?"

"How'd you meet Kouga?"

"Does that mean that you're our princess?"

"Do humans really fear demons?"

I was quiet, silently begging Midori to save me from the boys. She enjoyed my torture for a minute, but finally saved me.

"Hey boys, why don't we show Kagome the rest of the cubs?"

"Yeah!" all of them exclaimed.

* * *

A/n: hahaha. If this has a little bit of a weird flow, well… I was listening to 'Say Ok' by Vanessa Hudgens and 'Thriller' by Michael Jackson. (Weird music? No, it's just a major inside joke.) So I write to music so the paragraphs sometimes flow like the music I'm listening to… 

Anyways, I was so happy to see how many hits the first chapter got!!!! (Although, I would like more reviews...) But I'll live, because at last I know that people are reading this!!!!


	3. Chapter 3

So I met Midori's little pack of orphaned wolf cubs. Wait… I mean, BAND of orphaned wolf cubs. I thought there would only be a few… but there were a bunch of them!

There were so many, I can only remember a few of their names. The ones I remember the best were the ones I watched (the girls) while Midori took the rest (the boys) to the hot springs for bathing.

I remember that Aya is the little toddler with black hair and grey eyes. She just learned how to walk and swim, and she can only say a few words. Her mother died in childbirth and her father was still alive, but couldn't look after her during the day.

Umeko was born a few months ago. She's the youngest of the orphans and one of the cutest- her big brown eyes captivated me. But I felt so melancholy when I heard her circumstances: both her mother and father were killed in an attack by Naraku.

Kotone was the oldest of the cubs. She was just young enough to be a cub, but not old enough to go out on her own. If human, I'd probably count her as a laid-back and rebellious teenager. I was surprised to find out that she was only a few years younger than me; she was just fourteen years old. Her mother died while giving birth to her younger brothers, Kyo and Kiyoshi, and her father died while battling the birds of paradise.

Then there were the triplets: Natsuki, Natsuko, and Natsumi, at twelve years old. All three looked exactly the same, light brown hair and green eyes, and even had the same voice. Their mother died of exhaustion shortly after their birth and their father was too busy to take care of them during the day.

Moriko was the last girl- she was about thirteen years old. She was mute; Midori told me that Moriko had been mute ever since her parents were killed by Naraku. It was such a shame, she was so beautiful and graceful, and I could only imagine what a lovely voice she could produce.

I held Umeko in my arms, admiring her cute little face and calm demeanor. I sat on the grassy ground, with Moriko to my right and Aya to my left while Kotone and the triplets played a game of tag around us. We sat a few meters from the lake and waterfall, relaxing under the shade of the forest trees. I had become quite comfortable there, and I even had staggering thoughts about having kids of my own-

But I couldn't bring myself to think of who the father would be.

"Kagome?" Kotone sat in front of me, taking a break from the game. "You were the one who defeated the birds of paradise, right?" her chocolate eyes looked straight into mine.

"My… friend- did most of the defeating."

I still can't say THAT DOG's name.

"But you could see the sacred jewel shards in the birds, right?" Kotone asked me.

"Yes, I can see them."

"Can you tell us how you defeated the birds of paradise with your, um, friend?" Kotone asked me.

"Why do you want to hear that story?"

"I wish to hear how my father's killers perished."

I wasn't sure how to exactly react to that… but I finally decided that she could probably handle the story, without the gross bloody parts…

So I told her how THAT DOG, myself, and Kouga killed the birds of paradise. She seemed satisfied with the story, and I was relived that she didn't ask me anymore questions concerning the matter.

But my relief was short lived, because Kotone decided to ask when I would mate Kouga. I mean, come on! What is with these wolf demons?!

"I don't know if I'm going to 'mate' Kouga," I could feel the heat in my face, and all I could do was hope that the cubs were too young to understand why I was red.

"Really? Almost all the females would love to be Kouga's mate. I think most of them are jealous of you," one of the triplets stated. I still can't tell them apart, damn it.

"The only ones that aren't jealous are the old and mated," another triplet added.

That would explain the fight between Midori and some of the other females….

I felt a tug on my skirt, and found that Moriko was gesturing for me to look past Kotone and the triplets where Midori and the boys were heading towards us.

"Kagome, how did the girls behave while we were gone?" Midori asked.

"They were fine, no problems," it was a bit of a lie… but I guess I can't blame the cubs for being curious.

Midori smiled at me, and then told the boys to go ahead and play a game, warning them to stay clean for at least an hour. I doubted that they could, the boys were so hyper…

Kotone, the triplets, and Aya went to play with the boys, while Moriko stayed sitting to my right and Umeko in my arms. Midori sat down on my left, holding both Naoki and Naota, orphaned newborn twins.

We sat talking and playing with the newborn cubs for awhile, until most of the cubs were taking their afternoon naps. Only myself, Midori, Kotone, Moriko, the triplets, and another older male cub were awake. We spoke softly, so we wouldn't wake the sleeping cubs.

I heard the older male cub's story as well as Naoki and Naota's.

The male cub that was still awake was named Izumi (eleven years old), and his mom died about a year ago, due to sickness. I was shocked when I found out who his father was: Ginta. Ginta didn't have time to fully take care of Izumi, since he was always out with Kouga and Hakkaku. I also was shocked to hear that Hakkaku had a mate and a child as well.

Then I heard about Naoki and Naota's life. They were abandoned by their mother after their father died in a battle with Naraku. It was so sad; all the more reason to kill that bastard.

"Where are Riki and Etsuya?" Kotone asked Midori.

"They're training today with the other older male cubs," Midori answered her.

"Isn't that what Kouga's doing? Training the cubs?" I asked.

"Yep. All male cubs older than fourteen," Izumi answered this time.

"Why don't the girls older than fourteen train?" I asked.

"We don't really train, we just learn from our mothers, or in my case, Midori," Kotone looked a little saddened, but was quickly cheered up by Midori.

"And I'm the best teacher, aren't I?" Midori laughed evilly, "I teach you how to discipline naughty cubs!"

We all laughed, except Moriko- who was smiling, until we accidentally woke up the napping cubs.

Three of which, Umeko, Naoki, and Naota, were newborns. (Which we all know, never stop crying.) The rest, including toddlers and the smaller kids, were very grumpy and negative.

I was trying my best to soothe Umeko, lightly bouncing her, making funny noises, and I even tried begging her. Then I tried singing to her, which finally worked. It also seemed to calm Naoki and Naota, who weren't responding to anything Midori did. I felt like I could actually do the whole 'mom thing'.

I really need to stop thinking that or I'll-

"Kagome…" a familiar voice said from behind me.

"Kouga!" all the former ill-tempered cubs smiled at their prince.

But, did he hear me sing? Oh my goodness, he couldn't have! I'm so embarrassed…

"I didn't know what a beautiful voice you had, Kagome," Kouga looked right into my eyes, and smirked.

This wolf just KNOWS how to get me, doesn't he?

"I'm really bad at singing, actually…" I could still feel the heat in my face.

"Doesn't sound like you're bad to me or the cubs…" Kouga smiled at the drowsy Umeko in my arms. He put his fingers in her reach, and she gratefully grabbed his pointer finger- smiling her biggest smile.

It was so cute.

Kouga played with Umeko for awhile, then gently pulled his fingers away from her, and helped me stand up.

"What are you doing here, Kouga?" Midori asked as she handed Naoki to Kotone.

"I came to make sure Kagome really didn't mind helping out and to see if anyone here was hungry."

All the cubs paid attention to 'hungry' and nodded, asking for the food. Kouga laughed at their eagerness, and told them to follow him back to the caves for lunch. I was surprised when the older cubs picked up the younger, and hopped just like Kouga up the rock wall and into the cave. I was wondering how I could get up the mountain, when Kouga swept me off my feet, with Umeko safely in my arms, and hopped right behind the cubs.

I was confused at first, seeing the entry cave almost empty. I asked Midori why we were practically the only ones here, and she explained that the wolves ate lunch whenever they wanted. The older wolves were responsible for getting their own lunch and their family's, except for this bunch. Kouga or one of the cub's fathers would hunt for the entire group.

"Today," she said, "Kouga hunted and skinned our food."

That was so nice of him…

I looked to Kouga, who was helping a cub tear off a piece of meat for his lunch. Then I saw a few female wolf demons, who were holding newborn cubs, come from the east caves, who asked Midori if the babies were ready for lunch. I was wondering earlier how they fed the cubs… I guess they just have mothers with newborn cubs feed them….

"Kagome," Kouga got my attention, then handed me my cooked meat and a small bowl filled with clear spring water. Dang, he thinks of everything, doesn't he?

"Thanks," I smiled at him, earning the famous wolf-smirk in return.

We sat down on the dried grass for the second time that day, once again me and Kouga at the 'head'. Just a few minuets later, we were joined by two more cubs, who I learned were Riki and Etsuya, the older cubs Kouga had been training.

We finished awhile later, and waited for the mothers to return from feeding the newborns. They finally came, so we went back to where we were before, down by the edge of the forest and lake.

We settled, me, Midori, Moriko, and the newborns were watching a new game emerge with the cubs. It was something like hide-and-seek, but it was reversed. We watched, until the younger cubs became tired and took another nap. This time, though, I fell asleep with them.

A/n: See the difference in the paragraph flow this time? Haha, that's because I was listening to different music. This time, it was 'Don't Cry Out' by Shiny Toy Guns and 'Breathe Deep' by MXPX.

People reading this should feel special! Wanna know why? Because this has become my first priority story! Woot! Because of all the hits I have been receiving on this, it has jumped to the top of my to-do list. So feel special! lol.

OMG. I was looking at my stats on FF (it's also on deviant art) and I saw that '**Minako Miharu**' added this story to her alerts (and reviewed)! Minako Miharu is one of my absolute favorite Kouga/Kagome writers! I'm a major fan of her work, and I highly suggest reading 'Knight Errant'. I've been reading it in my spare time and it's SO good. (I'm not finished reading it yet…) Here's the link to Knight Errant (take out the spaces and put dots in their places!!!): www fanfiction net(slash here) 2663447 (slash) 1

about the long author's note… hahaha.


	4. Chapter 4

I can't believe I feel asleep like that- Midori said it was no big deal, being my fist time taking care of the cubs and all… I was just so tired and it was so peaceful-

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," Midori smirked at me as I got up with a yawn and stretched out my body. "Have a nice nap?"

I nodded and smiled sleepily at her, watching as the cubs played yet another game.

"I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did…" Midori laughed, "I barely lasted an hour on my first day with the cubs."

"How long was I asleep?" I finally asked her.

"A little over an hour."

I looked towards the sun, and sure enough- it was past the middle of the sky and was preparing to set. "What are we going to do now?"

"Not much. Now, we just make sure the get all of their energy out and get them to dinner; then, others will be watching them through the night," Midori went to Kotone and grabbed the baby twin boys and sat down next to my feet.

Following Midori's lead, I walked over to Moriko and offered to take Umeko from her, which she nodded to as a response and placed the baby in my awaiting arms.

We watched and played with the orphan cubs for while longer- just until the sun began to set; once the clouds in the sky started turning orange and the torches were being lit, Midori hurried us inside to where we ate twice before.

Midori handed the babies off to the young mothers for their food, then pointed for me to go towards the 'head' once again as she took the other cubs to their spot towards the middle.

I sat where I had sat before, watching and I found that more wolf demons were in the room than I had ever seen altogether before.

"How was your day?" Kouga's deep voice came from behind me.

I smiled back at him and replied, "A little tiring, but it was fun with the cubs."

Kouga smile-smirked and turned to his pack, greeting them, and then went on with dinner.

"Did you like the cubs? Were they good for you?" Kouga asked me as he served me my cooked meat and assorted herbs.

"I can do that…" I said shyly, trying to help him serve me.

"Here, the males serve their families. The females already do enough," Kouga smiled genuinely, passing the next piece of meat down to his sister's mate.

I raised my hand and pretended to cough to hide my slight blush. When Kouga sat back down, he restated his question and I answered, "I loved the cubs. They're all so adorable. And they were all well-behaved," I smiled at him, and then took a bite of my meat. You know, come to think of it, wolves eat meat all the time- it's no wonder they're strong… it's because they eat so much protein!

"I'm glad," Kouga sat closer to me, making me even redder than before. He smirked at my slight hesitancy and the red blush across my face.

"Could I continue with it tomorrow? I still feel like I'd be… free-loading or something if I didn't do something…"

"Free-loading?" Kouga asked, his smirk falling from his face.

"Getting everything you need for nothing in return."

"Isn't that what people do when they're in love? I'd give you everything for nothing in return…" he smirked once more at me.

He's so passionate about me… so genuine and unique with his feelings towards me….

Unlike THAT DOG.

I subdued my blush then answered, "I still feel like I should do something. Plus, I like taking care of the cubs."

He smiled and we went on with dinner, talking about 'normal wolf things'- such as hinting, cubs, mating, and territory.

Long after everyone was done eating, most of the wolves were still sitting around the 'table' and chatting. The only ones who had left were the night guards and the young cubs.

We sat chatting for a long time, that is, until I yawned.

"Tired?" Kouga grinned at me.

I sheepishly smiled and replied sleepily, "Yes."

"I'll take you to bed then," Kouga stood and extended his and to me, hoisting me up to my feet and leading me back towards his room- followed by whistles and perverted growls from Kouga's underlings.

Kagome ignored her blush this time, following groggily behind Kouga.

* * *

The next morning was the same routine; I woke up to Ryouta, took a bath with Midori, and had breakfast at the head of the table with Kouga. 

The only thing different was that I had to take the girls to bathe, just like Midori did for the boys yesterday.

Giving them all baths is much more… tiring than I thought. First you have to get them all undressed, then get them all in the water (while holding the ones that couldn't swim yet), and make sure they all wash every single part of their little bodies. I had babysat in the past, back when I was just a normal school girl, but none of those babysitting experiences could prepare me for washing these wolf cubs.

First of all, they have more hair than human babies, both on their head, and on their tails; both sections have to be washed perfectly.

Second, they are all hyper, except Moriko of course. They all insisted on splashing myself and each other with water and soap.

Last, even though they were girls, they liked being dirty.

(Which all this results in me having the most hectic motherhood experience of my entire life.)

After about an hour, I finally finished getting all the girls cleaned and partially tired. I still wonder how Midori can do this every day…

"I was wondering if I should send a rescue team," Midori smirked at me. "I was worried the girls would overwhelm you. But I guess you lived. No casualties, I see."

I faked a pout than sat next to her on the grass with Umeko safe in my arms, and Moriko sat down next to me.

"So… how was their baths?" Midori smiled at me, shifting her weight to face me more fully with the newborn twins in her arms.

"Well, it was hard. I've never given anyone a bath but my little brother…" I started.

"You have a little brother?!" Midori got all wide-eyed and gasped, "I didn't know that!"

I tried to laughed, but I came out as more of a muffled 'humph' and thought about my poor, unmentioned brother. "Yeah, he's cute. Sometimes a pain… but I do love him."

Midori smiled at me and told me to tell her about the cubs' behavior in the hot springs.

"Well, they were fine; I just wasn't used to all the hair…" I tied laughing again- I was a bit more successful than the last time. "My brother's hair is short and he most definitely doesn't have a tail."

"His hair is short?"

"Yes…"

Now I even held Midori's attention, some cubs even gaped at me.

"Why is his hair short?" Midori asked me, looking genuinely confused.

Oh, that's just great, how am I gonna get around this one without telling her I'm from the future? All the boys around here keep their hair long…

"I'm from Canada, remember?" Bwahaha, good thinking Kagome!

"Oh yes! You mentioned that you were from 'Cannadaa' at yesterday's breakfast," Izumi smiled at me, proud to know what I had been referring to.

"Tell us more about 'Caanadda,' Kagome!" a couple of the cubs pulled at my skit, openly showing their anticipation.

Good thing I've been to Canada, huh?

Midori smiled and urged me on along with the cubs, "Yeah, Kagome, tell us!"

I sighed softly then decided it would be best to tell them all about my 'homeland'- minus the whole fact that you know, I'm not really from Canada or the Feudal Era.

"So why does your brother have short hair?" Midori asked after a short explanation about the general idea of Canada.

"Uh, well… you see… um… In Canada, hair is a waste! We cut it short so we don't have to worry about it!" I quickly came up with it, not completely thinking about my statement.

"Then way isn't your hair so short?" Kotone inquired.

Oh crap. "Uh- well, I haven't been back to- Canada… for a long time, so my hair's grown…?"

They seemed to have accepted my explanation… for now, at least.

* * *

A/n: sorry, Canadians. I don't know much about Canada… only been there once myself… all I know is that there are A&W's EVERYWHERE. And, no, I am not implying certain things to be related to Canada. It's just a country that I thought would suffice to young 'cub' imagination. Also sorry for the short chapter- last few months have been… whoa. 

Paragraph flow due to 'It Sucks to Be Me' and 'The Internet is for &$#' by _Avenue Q_. Hahahaha. Long story there….

ne last thing- Id lke to say thanks to all my reviewers, AND th people that add this to their story alerts and favorites. Alerts and favs make me feel as special as a review. So- Thanks.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha characters, if I did- Kagome would end up with Kouga and Kikyo would be a very tortured person. So there. However, I do own this plot and its original characters. **

* * *

Awhile after lunch, Kotone approached me with a pale face and queasy appearance. 

"What's wrong, Kotone?" I said as I got up, giving Umeko to Moriko.

"I… don't feel good, Kagome," after finishing her uneasy statement, she turned to throw up all of her lunch's content unto the grass. I grabbed her hair out of her face and looked to Midori for help.

"O-o, baby," Midori picked up the sick teenager after she had spilled all of her stomach's contents, "Kagome, I'll be right back," and she rushed off into the caves with Kotone safe in her arms.

I picked up one of the twins from Izumi, who was Midori's first (or maybe just closest) choice for handing off the newborns to.

Minutes later, Midori was back, looking a little disheveled and worried.

"Is she going to be okay?" I asked as she took the twins from Izumi and I took back Umeko from Moriko.

"I hope so. The healers are looking at her now, one will come down and tell us if they find something," she pouted as she told me. "They wouldn't even let me stay with her… the bastards."

I resisted the urge to laugh at her little side comment, wondering if all wolf demons spoke like Kouga and her, "Well, I guess we just sit and wait, huh?"

"I guess," so we sat, mostly in silence as the other cubs played with one another.

I could tell Midori was worried, and I suspected that Midori and Kotone's had more to it than meets the eye.

"She's… like a daughter to me, you know…" she said to me randomly, preoccupying herself with the sleeping twins in her arms.

I was right, "I thought you might be closer to these cubs than you let on."

"I am," she smiled then, "They're like my own kids, you know? It's my responsibility, my homage to the pack."

We sat in silence again, watching the cubs and enjoying the light mist from the falls.

It was like that for awhile, until an older-looking wolf demon came down and gestured for Midori to come over.

Midori gave a twin to Izumi and one to Moriko and walked to the older demon, openly showing her concern.

They talked; once or twice Midori raised her voice, as if she was angry. After many minutes of speaking, the older demon left, and Midori stomped back and sat cross-legged in front of me, not bothering to take the twins back.

"Will Kotone be okay?" I asked.

"Hopefully, and if she pulls through this, I'll kill her."

"What's wrong?" I asked, really concerned of the situation.

Midori send the cubs farther away and out of hearing range, even Izumi and Moriko with the twins.

After making sure the cubs couldn't hear, she went on, "She's pregnant."

* * *

After making sure the cubs were taken care of by other mothers, Midori took me up to the healing wing of the cave. 

"Go on in," she told me, pushing me into the healing room, "I'm pretty sure she won't listen to anything I have to say."

I went in; the healers had left, having done their work. Kotone sat up against the stone wall on a bed of furs, arms crossed and her face distorted into a mix between worried and angry.

"Kotone?" I called to her in a friendly voice.

She waited, possibly deciding if she should talk to me before saying sourly, "What do you want?"

"Just to talk," I sat on her right, waiting for her to say something.

"I don't want to talk…" she let a tear fall, "I don't need anybody."

I put my hand on her slim shoulder, "But you want somebody… don't you?"

She broke down then, throwing the furs off her lower body and embracing me.

After a long time of holding the slightly younger girl, she stopped crying and looked me straight in the face and said, "I'm scared."

I felt shock but recovered quickly, "Why are you scared?"

She paused before stating, "Kouga's going to kill me," she let a few tears fall, "And I'm still a cub… so that means there's a bigger chance I'll die."

I hugged her closer, because I hadn't thought about those… dilemmas. "Why would Kouga kill you?"

"Why? Because he's trying to 'rebuild the pack' and this could endanger the 'future' of the pack!" she cried.

We sat for awhile, just in each other's embrace.

"Who's that father, Kotone?" I asked.

"Why should I get him in trouble?"

I sighed, "Because I need to know if what you did was… voluntary."

"Voluntary? You think I was raped?" her eyes went wide.

"Just in case Kotone; plus, Kouga will probably be more lenient to you and the father if he can see both of the people… involved. It would be better to know up front in case you have… complications or if the father's name is blurted out later." I choose my words carefully.

She thought carefully before finally deciding to tell me, "The father is Riki."

I was stunned for a moment before saying, "The cub that trains with Kouga?"

"That's him."

So they were both cubs… oh man, that should be fun to tell Kouga.

"Do you love him?" I asked.

"Very much," she had a dreamy look in her eyes.

I smiled at her, "Then I think you'll be able to get through this."

She smiled back and hugged me again.

* * *

After leaving the healer's room (feeling quite satisfied with my mother-figure skills), Midori attacked me with questions. 

Once I calmed her down a bit, I answered her questions about the father and the other things Kotone had confided in me.

She stayed quiet when I finally finished answering her questions; I suppose she was finally letting the situation fully sink into her head.

When she finally spoke up, she said, "I can't believe this is really happening… If she dies in childbirth, it really won't be good for the pack's numbers."

"The pack's numbers?" I asked dumbly.

She explained the best she could, "Ever since the Birds of Paradise fed on us and Naraku wiped out almost the entire East Pack, the pack's numbers have been decreasing- not just our pack either, the East's remaining few have merged with us, but the Northern and Southern packs aren't doing well either." She sighed before going on, "The number seems to be getting better throughout the packs… but if Kotone and the baby don't pull through it won't be good… especially if the cubs think of Kotone and Riki as an example… and well…" she sighed again.

We stood in silence, me thinking about Kouga's dilemmas and Kotone just standing in front of me with an unsteady expression.

* * *

"Kotone is WHAT?" was Kouga's first reaction when Midori explained the situation. 

"…pregnant," Midori said in a small, airy voice.

Kouga sat down on the floor and began to rub his temples. "This is not good. Not good at all," he sighed after each statement.

"What should we do?" Midori asked, sitting directly across from him and motioning for me to sit too.

"I'm not sure," he admitted, and after thinking for awhile, he continued, "Give her a good talking to. Maybe even keep her from the cubs. If they think something like this is okay because of Kotone… It would definitely be good for Kotone to keep away, with the other pregnant women, away from the cubs. I'm sorry, Midori. I know she's like a daughter to you…" he gave her an apologetic look.

"I know it would be for the best," she frowned.

I just sat there, trying to be a positive force.

"I guess I should go talk to Kotone then… Kagome? Will you come with me? Maybe you'll make me look less menacing- Midori told me about how you calmed Kotone earlier."

I nodded and smiled, "Sure, I'll come."

* * *

We walked back to the healer's room, where we found Kotone where I'd last left her. When she saw Kouga after I had sat next to her, a look of terror crossed her face- and now Kouga was a good ten minutes into his 'talking to' with Kotone. 

Kouga kept stern, and Kotone's face kept an ashamed and guilty look.

"-and I can't believe you would even consider having sex NOW, at your age!"

"Kouga? I think she gets it…"

He faltered in his glare at Kotone, and looked at me straight in the eye.

You know that feeling of pure ferocity coming at you? I felt it full-force then.

Kotone was crying now, letting stifled sobs out even now and then.

"Fine." And he walked out, leaving me to comfort Kotone.

* * *

They sat around the fire in silence. Ever since Kagome disappeared and Kikyo started traveling with them, it had been like this. 

Sango put more firewood on the fire, glaring at Kikyo across the fire's flames.

"I want Kagome," Shippo announced for what seemed the millionth time that day.

"Shut up, runt," Inuyasha bopped Shippo on the head, "We're going to reach Kouga's cave sometime tomorrow, so stop whining!"

"You never told us, Inuyasha, but why are we headed for Kouga's den?" Miroku inquired.

"Kagome's scent that I picked up was twisted around Kouga's," Inuyasha's eye twitched at the name.

Sango stood up and stretched while yawning, "I'm going to bed. We're getting up early to go get Kagome, so you guys better do the same."

So they went to bed, Sango curling up with Kirara and Shippo, a safe distance from the perverted monk. Inuyasha sat against a tree after dowsing the fire, and let Kikyo lay in his lap- to the discomfort of the other's in camp.

* * *

I went to bed myself, after an awkward dinner where Kouga and I did not speak directly to each other. 

I was asleep for awhile until I felt someone shaking me awake.

"Midori?" I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes while looking to Midori for the reason why she was disturbing my sleep.

"Where's Kouga?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"No…" I answered, confused.

"Well he's supposed to be here! He sleeps here!"

"He does?"

"Yeah, his room. And even if it wasn't, his scent's all over the furs and you!"

Had he been sneaking into the bed when I was asleep?

"Well, have you talked to Kotone since dinner?"

"No."

"Damn…"

"Why?"

"She's missing."

"Missing?"

"Yeah. Riki's still here, but Kotone is gone. She covered her scent too, so we don't know where the hell she went," Midori frowned.

"Are people looking for her?"

"Yeah, I was coming to grab you and Kouga to come help."

"Okay then, let's go," I said urgently.

She crouched down, putting her back to me, and said, "Hop on, we'll get to a new area quicker if I carry you."

* * *

After about ten or fifteen minutes of running, Midori stopped and let me down. 

"You look here," she said, "I hear someone howling for me. I'll be back in a few minutes, you start looking," then she ran off, leaving me by myself.

Okay… where to look?

I heard water coming from behind a thicket of bushes and trees; and I logically thought that that would be the best place to look first. Surely, I thought, after running away you would need water.

"Kotone?" I called out, pushing my way through the bushes.

I herd someone dash away from the bank of the steam I had heard, and I ran the rest of the way out of the bushes- feeling the branches make small cuts on my exposed legs.

"Kotone? It's me, Kagome!"

There was silence for a few seconds before I heard Kotone's voice, "Kagome?"

"Kotone? Come here…" I gasped, slightly out of breath from running through the thick bushes and to the bank of the stream.

"Are you okay, Kagome?" she walked over to me with unsure steps, as if she was afraid of what I'd say to her next.

"I'll be fine," I finally caught my breath and looked her in the face, making her look to her feet. "Why did you run away?"

She looked at me, not expecting such a mild question. "I guess I thought it would be better if I wasn't around…" she sighed, "and I was kinda scared."

"Oh," I replied simply, letting her explanation end like that. "I know you probably don't want to, but I have to make sure you come home, back to the caves."

She sighed, giving in, "I know. Can we walk there, though? I want a little time away from… those people."

"Sure."

Then I think she might've offended me and quickly said, "But I don't mind you! Will you stay and walk with me?"

I smiled at her and hugged her shoulders with my left arm, starting to walk with her, "Of course I'll stay with you."

* * *

When I was writing the scene between Kotone and Kagome… I don't know what I was thinking or how I did it. Personally, I've only personally known two teenagers to become pregnant. So… yeah. Sorry if it was unrealistic and cheesy. Then with the Kouga/Kotone/Kagome scene… oh, man, I NEVER MEANT FOR KOUGA TO BE A JERK! He just had to be right there for the sake of the chapter. I think Kouga's rather sweet… And Inuyasha & Co. are back! I've been meaning to bring them in, and it was finalized after many mentions of doing so in reviews. 

Music: 'Last Train Home' Lostprophets and 'Gone Forever' Three Days Grace.


	6. Chapter 6

We made small talk as we walked to the caves; I never mentioned her becoming pregnant.

She asked me more about 'Canada' and other Kouga-ish things, but it was mostly to pass time as we walked.

After a short pause in talking Kotone broke the silence with, "Kagome? Do you think…" she tried to find words, "Do you think Kouga will throw me out of the pack?"

I stared at her sad face and tried to reassure her, "Of course he won't! Why do you think he has the whole pack out looking for you?"

She thought about it and said quietly, almost snidely, "So he can throw me out with his own hands…"

I put a firm, loving hand on her shoulder and said, "In all the time I've known Kouga, I will proclaim that I would never think in his right mind he'd do such a thing."

She looked dubious. "You're his woman, though. All men are different around their women."

"I didn't used to be his… 'woman'…" I said, trying to use the term I never liked, nor confirmed, to my advantage.

"Really?" she looked at me strangely, "Most men know right away who their mate will be. Scents usually tell them, so they're always nice to their future mates, even when that certain woman doesn't even realize it."

"Well, maybe it's different for humans?" I suggested.

So we talked about that, her trying to convince me he'd always acted different around me because of my scent. My argument being about me being a normal human that doesn't know from scent who their mate would be.

We were so distracted we never saw it coming…something I never wanted, or thought, to happen, happened.

We walked straight into Inuyasha… or I should say, Inuyasha and the other's camp.

* * *

Inuyasha sniffed the air unconsciously in his light sleep. "Kagome…" he sighed under his breath, waking instantly. He woke the sleeping Kikyo in return, who was lying in his lap. 

"What are you doing, Inuyasha?" she said coldly, not fond of waking up so rudely.

"Her scent…" he sniffed again.

"Who's scent?" Sango said, now awake too.

"…"

"Who's scent Inuyasha?" Miroku asked, awake as well.

"Kagome's," he kept on sniffing trying to determine where it was coming from and where it was headed.

"Kagome?!" exclaimed an excited Shippo. "Where is she, Inuyasha? I want Kagome!"

His golden eyes went wide, "She's coming this way." He sniffed the air again, as if he was uncertain. "I think someone's with her, too." He tried to detect the scent from his memory, "It's not Kouga's, but… it's definitely wolf."

They heard distant voices headed toward them.

"It is Kagome, I hear her!" Shippo cried out.

* * *

"Kagome!" Shippo jumped into my arms as I stood still, shocked by the presence of the two people I wished I had never seen... doing that. 

Sango walked over and gave me a long, squeezing hug and asked me where I'd had been and why'd I run off.

Miroku smiled at me from a little ways away.

Inuyasha looked furious…

And then I saw Kikyo.

"Sister? Who are there people?" Kotone used my 'formal' name, as instructed by Kouga around strangers.

"Sister?" Shippo asked, looking weirded out.

"Yes, she's my sister!" Kotone pulled on my armor-top.

"What on earth are you wearing Kagome?! You look like Kouga!" Sango commented, looking at my armor-top and bearskin skirt. "What happened to your other clothes?"

"What do you mean? Sister looks like Sister, nothing like Kouga…" Kotone glared at the demon-slayer.

Sango backed off, sensing a pissed off teenager not to be messed around with.

"Kagome? You haven't spoken…" Miroku commented, worried about my silence.

"Let's go, Kotone," I said simply, starting to walk past Sango.

"What? You just got here! We've been trying to find you since you ran off!" Inuyasha said heatedly, grabbing my upper arm in anger.

"Let go of me, Inuyasha!" I said, pushing at his clawed hand.

"No! You're coming with us to hunt for Sacred Jewel Shards!" Inuyasha barked at me. He stilled for a second, sniffing the air. "Shit…"

"What?" I asked, still pushing at his arm, afraid to 'sit' him in case he'd pull me down with him.

"Kouga's here," Inuyasha said right before the trade-mark whirlwind whooshed into their camp.

"Kagome," Kouga said, looking at Inuyasha's hand on my arm. "I see you found Kotone," he looked at the pregnant teen, "And the filthy mutt."

"Mangy wolf," growled Inuyasha.

"Let go of Kagome, smelly dog," Kouga growled at Inuyasha, flexing his claws.

"Make me."

"Okay."

Kouga was about to jump Inuyasha when I said promptly, "Sit."

Inuyasha's claws dug into my arm and left five bleeding scratched down it. I yelped in pain and instantly regretting stopping the fight before started.

I faintly heard gasps from the surrounding people, but it hurt so bad, I couldn't register who had and who hadn't. A few voices were calling out to me, but my brain didn't comprehend a word said. I was so focused on the pain, I passed out from shock.

* * *

"Kagome? Kagome…" Sango called out hopelessly to the unconscious Kagome. 

"Shit, mutt," Kouga cradled Kagome's asleep form in his arms, carrying her bridal-style. "You did this, stupid dog!" Kouga stomped his foot on the helpless, face-down Inuyasha.

"Will Sister be alright, Kouga?" Kotone asked, her worried glances aimed at Kagome.

Kouga looked at the teen and nodded, "I think she'll be alright, she will probably have one nasty scar, though…" he looked at her heavily bleeding arm again. "We have to get back to the caves quickly for the healer; I don't want this to get infected."

Kotone nodded and quickly said, "Go on ahead… I promise I'll be right behind you. Kagome convinced me to… come back."

Kouga smiled at her and quickly told her she'd better come back or he'd hunt her down himself.

He ran off with Kagome safely in his arms, and Kotone following behind (but not as fast).

Inuyasha was finally relieved of Kagome's 'sit' and quickly yelled, "Damn that woman and mangy wolf!"

* * *

A/n: Yes, this is short. But I'm tired. (And it was updated kinda quickly…) And I was writing one page for a science report for every page I wrote for this story. And at least you saw more of Inuyasha & Co.! That's something people have been asking for… for awhile. 

Music: Pretty much everything in my library. (Because the science thingy took forever… hahaha)


	7. Chapter 7

Note to self

A/n: There was a bit of confusion about the last chapter. When Kagome fainted, I wasn't implying that she was weak and couldn't handle some scratches. She fainted from the combination of the shock of seeing Inuyasha, the stress of finding Kotone, and the fact that her arm had new bleeding scratches thanks to Inuyasha. Sorry if I made it sound other wise…!

I'm so sorry for the wait. My beta has left. Sorry if this is bad and/or grammatically horrible.

"…K-Kouga?" I called, feeling my hurt arm held in someone's grasp.

"Nope, young lady. I'm afraid your man had to take care of something," a shaky voice said to me while frail fingers applied a sticky medicine to my arm.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the healer of these caves, young lady," he started to apply a bandage over the medicine.

"Healer? Is my arm that bad?"

"No, young lady. Kouga just feared infection and brought you here to have it cleaned," I finally focused on the healer and found that he was a wrinkly old wolf with a charming smile plastered to his face.

"Where's Kotone?"

"With Kouga, talking to the father of her child," his smile twitched at the word 'father'.

"Oh… nobody else was with them when they arrived, right?" I asked, worried that one of the others had followed Kouga. I just couldn't stand to see them right now.

Especially THAT DOG.

"Nope, young lady. No one followed from the hanyou's group."

"How'd you know-"

"An old wolf's nose knows all, young lady."

What's with the 'young lady' thing? "Oh. Well, thanks for treating me… I should go," I said and tried to get up, but was held in place with a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Stay down, young lady. You're in Kouga's room, I came to you," the old man stood up slowly and I heard various bones crack throughout his body. "Rest and you'll be fine, young lady."

Right before he left the entrance to the room I asked him, "Why do you call me 'young lady'?"

The healer turned his smiling face to me and said, "Because that's what you are. You're not the wolf tribe's princess yet or a sister. You have to actually mate with Kouga to get those titles."

I reddened, and hid my face under the bed's furs as the old healer walked away laughing.

A few minutes later, Kouga came in and sat next to me on top of the furs, tilting his head to the side when I refused to show him my red face.

"What did you say to Riki and Kotone?" I asked, keeping my hot face under the fur.

"I just told them the consequences of their actions and that they won't be banished or anything like that…"

"…What are the consequences?"

"Well, once the cub has been born, Kotone and Riki will be washing endless amounts of dirty pelts, weapons, and various wolves, to start. And I'll inflict other consequences as I see fit."

I nodded, satisfied with the verdict.

"They also have to become official mates when they are of age, but they seemed pretty okay with that," Kouga added, smiling and shaking his head. "I don't think I could break them up, even if I thought it was for the best."

"Why is that?" I asked, uncovering my less reddened face.

"They've always been attached at the hip, and they've been intended for each other since their births," Kouga smirked at me then, "Riki could smell his mate since he began the route to being a man."

I suddenly remembered Kotone telling me about male wolves' ability to smell their mate before the woman even knows the male, and how they act differently around their 'intended.' "How do I smell to you, Kouga?"

Kouga's blue eyes widened, "You really want to know?"

I hesitated but said confidently, "Yes."

"You smell… like a tree." He said confidently.

"…a tree?" Was that supposed to be a compliment, or…?

"A nice big oak tree."

Not exactly the answer I was looking for… Then again, I was talking to Kouga…

"How do I smell, Kagome?" Kouga asked with no hint of joking in his face.

"Well judging by the fact that I human… I'm pretty sure I don't know."

"Humans do have _some_ sense of smell, don't they?"

"Well yeah, but-"

"Then tell me how I smell to you, please."

"Um…" I took a quick whiff and I realized I'd known how he smelled since the day I'd met him. (Yes, the day he kidnapped me…) "Like the wind."

Kouga let out a deep laugh and patted me on the head like I was a child, "Did the healer give you something that is messing with your head, Kagome?"

"No?"

He laughed some more and walked out of the room- continuing to laugh. I was confused, but caught him say, "It's like the wind through the trees!" between his laughter. And he left me in his room alone.

What was with these demons walking away laughing today?!

I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon sleeping, since I had been woken up to find Kotone so late at night.

Midori came to wake me at midday and took me to get cleaned up and dressed, telling me that there's no pride in sleeping the day away, human or not.

"Are you all right, Kagome?" Midori asked; her tone more serious than I'd ever heard it.

I looked up into her green eyes and -stupidly- answered, "My scratches aren't hurting anymore, so I'll be fine…" There was a questioning tone in my voice, silently asking her if that's what she meant.

She shook her head and closed her beautiful eyes in what seemed like sympathy. "I meant… are you all right after what happened with the dog?"

"Kouga told you about Inuyasha?" Ouch. The name, the face… it all still hurt. The scratches on my arm seemed to pulse with pain at the mention of his name.

"Yes. Well, only myself and a couple of the others that are close to you… he didn't want us to say anything that might seem…" her eyes showed pain for me, "heartless."

I suddenly felt anger; towards Kouga or Inuyasha- I have no idea. But Midori pulled me into her demon-strong arms and told me that she was there and that Kouga did it out of his 'love' for me.

_Love_, huh?

"Kagome?"

I felt a different set of arms take me into a hug and realizes it was Kouga taking me back to our- wait no, _his_, room.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told them-"

I cut him of by pressing my lips quickly to his, surprising him, and me.


	8. Chapter 8

_I suddenly felt anger; towards Kouga or Inuyasha- I have no idea. But Midori pulled me into her demon-strong arms and told me that she was there and that Kouga did it out of his 'love' for me._

_Love__, huh?_

"_Kagome?"_

_I felt a different set of arms take me into a hug and realized that it was Kouga taking me back to our- wait no, __his__, room._

"_I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told them-"_

_I cut him of by pressing my lips quickly to his, surprising him, and me._

We kissed for a few seconds, nothing more than a simple lip-lock. I gently looked back into blue eyes and felt the corners of my lips curve into a smile.

I looked behind Kouga to find that Midori left us in seclusion, and I had a gut-feeling that I would receive teasing for the kiss. But at that moment, I didn't really care.

Kouga released his hold on me and gently took my right hand in his and started to walk out of his room.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

Kouga looked back at me and smirked.

"Really, where are we going?"

"Out, alone."

_All that is sacred, please don't let this mean- Stop those _dirty_ thoughts!_

We had a few strange looks from the other pack members, but no one questioned their leader.

Kouga slung me into his arms quickly and I took it as a sign to get ready for a whirlwind run through the forest surrounding the caves.

I'd kind of gotten used to the rushing wind and passing scenery and took the time to relax.

After a few minutes of Kouga's running, we came to a stop.

"How do you like this place?" He asked me, grinning so that the tips of his fangs were showing.

I opened my eyes and beheld his mini-paradise.

It was an opening between large trees; it had soft grass being shown off by the sun shinning amid the trees. A few green bushes were at the small clearing's edge, giving it a more circular feel. Where the sun shone the most, small yellow flowers swayed with the slight breeze from the north.

It, to say the least, was breathtaking.

"How did you find this place?"

He set me down and answered, "My father found it and showed it to me when I was a cub."

"Your father? You haven't talked about him much…"

Kouga smiled and puffed his chest out a little and boasted, "He was a strong demon!" He looked back down at me and smiled, "But he wasn't as fast as me, I got that from my mother."

"Are they sill alive?" I asked a bit timidly.

Kouga looked reminiscent and replied, "My father is alive, he lives in the Elder's cave which is not far from here. My mother was taken in an attack by Naraku."

I hugged his arm and tried to comfort him, "I understand… I lost my father long ago."

Kouga looked into my eyes with a look of utmost sadness. "That must have been hard…"

I looked back at him with a reassuring glance and said, "It was. My brother was a newborn, and my grandmother had passed only a few months before. My mother… she was so distraught. I didn't really understand, I was so young when it happened."

I felt Kouga's arms wrap around my shoulders and give me a light squeeze. "How did he die?"

"Brain cancer, he got a tumor in his brain and it was in a really dangerous spot…" Kagome hugged Kouga a little closer and suddenly realized her mistake.

"'Cancer'? What is that? How did you know he had 'cancer' in his brain?" Kouga looked down at her, genuinely confused.

I decided in those few moments that I could no longer hide such a big part of myself. If I wanted to really be friends, maybe more with Kouga, I had to tell him exactly who I was.

"Kouga, I've not been completely honest with you…"

"Honest? What-"

"Really, don't say anything until I'm done explaining, okay? Then you can ask all the questions you want."

He looked like he was about to ask a question, but stopped himself and nodded, sitting down amidst the yellow flowers. I sat with him, and started to tell my story, my whole story. How I'm from the future, how I'd gone through the well, how I'd met THAT DOG, and how I broke the jewel.

"So you're not from 'Canada?'"

Of all questions to ask… "No. I'm from here, just 500 years in the future."

"Can I go through the well with you?"

"I don't really know… In theory, you probably couldn't. But since you're a demon and have jewel shards… it might just be possible."

"Really? I'd love to see your own pack."

I slightly giggled at the thought of my family and friends being a pack, but it somehow made sense, coming from Kouga.

Kouga stayed silent for a moment then looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Why didn't I tell him sooner?

I've trusted him since… well, since he kidnapped me.

"I'm not sure… The only people that know are Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and the village by the bone eater's well… and Inuyasha, of course."

Damn that dog…

"Has Inuyasha been through the well to your time?"

"Well, yes."

"Hmm…" Kouga looked intense, like he was about to jump up and fight a wild boar.

"What's wrong?" I asked, kind of bothered by his look.

"If Inuyasha can get through, then I most definitely can!" He smiled at me and picked me up swiftly, running who knows where in his whooshing whirlwind.

"Where are we going?!" I asked loudly with my eyes closed, trying to talk over the sound of the wind.

"Your time!" Kouga yelled back, running even quicker now.

In only a few minutes, Kouga stopped at the bone eater's well and unloaded me from his arms.

"Okay, hold onto my hand and we'll jump through together. If you don't come through with me I'll turn back around, okay?"

Kouga nodded and with a determined look on his face, he rushed us forward and jumped.

* * *

A/n: Yup, it's short. Yup, it's a cliffhanger. But it's something, right?


	9. Chapter 9

The sensation of jumping through the well passed quickly, but there was a presence next to me. I looked up to see Kouga standing next to me at the bottom of the well.

"Well, that was queer," he bluntly stated. "What just happened?"

I looked to the northern side of the well and spotted the ladder grandpa had installed, indicating that we had traveled into the future together successfully.

"We made it into the future, Kouga!" I happily declared, reaching for the ladder to start the climb.

"Nice view."

I forgot about the short fur-skirt I was currently sporting... embarrassing. I quickly jumped back down the ladder and gestured for him to lead up the sturdy ropes. He looked at my hand for a moment and shocked me by grabbing my waist and jumping to the top in an instant.

"Your time... smells really weird, Kagome," he was covering his sensitive nose with his unoccupied hand and was looking around like a lost dog.

I shrugged and told him that the smell wasn't the only thing that had changed. He was asking what could have possibly changed in 500 years when I slid the well door open to revel a whole different setting of Japan than he was comfortably used to.

"Kagome?" my little brother called from the shrine entrance arch, looking like he had just come home from school. "Kagome! You're finally home!" He ran over and caught me in his embrace, which I noticed was a touch taller than the last time we had embraced.

"Souta, it's so good to see you," I ruffled his hair and smiled at him when he had pulled away.

"This is your little brother?" Kouga asked, tilting his head and trying to sniff my brother.

I nodded and quickly told Souta who the wolf demon at my side was.

"I thought only Inuyasha could come through the well...?"

"That's what I thought too, but I guess Kouga can too... Are mom and grandpa home?" I asked while walking toward our home, Kouga in tow.

"I think so... unless grandpa's at another meeting at your high school, Kagome."

I opened the sliding door and removed the feet wrappings that the wolf tribe had provided for me. "Poor grandpa... always making up excuses for me."

"What's high school?" Kouga asked, looking at me in confusion after taking in his surroundings.

"It's where people in this time go to learn all sorts of things so that they can get jobs when they're adults." I bent down, reaching for Kouga's feet wrappings when he got a severely nervous look on his face. "We don't wear anything on our feet here, Kouga. I'm just going to take the wrappings off of your feet."

He gave in and sat on the wood floor ledge to quickly tear off his thin feet wraps, throwing them unceremoniously into the corner when they were off.

It was weird, seeing Kouga's feet. Except for his exposed toes and heels, his feet were remarkably clean and well kept. However, the lack of wrappings on his feet made me wonder whether the furry things on his legs, which looked like weird 80's leg warmers, were removable or not.

We made our way to the kitchen, with Kouga marveling at every appliance and novelty.

Souta sat at our western-style table and finally noticed Kouga's intriguing backside. "Is that a tail, Kouga?"

Kouga turned from looking at the refrigerator, which I had opened to get a soda, to Souta, "Of course it's a tail."

Souta was not spurned by the blunt answer and continued his questioning. "Is it, like, attached to you?"

"...yes?"

"Whoa! That's so cool. I wish I could tell the guys at school about this. A tail is way better than some dog ears, like Inuyasha!"

Kouga now looked quite proud of himself.

"Would you like something to drink Kouga? Souta?" I asked, popping open my soda.

Souta stopped his examination of Kouga's tail and replied with a yes. Kouga looked over my shoulder to see what this 'soda' was and asked a lot of questions concerning every aspect of it contents and metal container. When he finally took a drink out of mine, he made a face and almost jumped away.

"What the hell?" he stated more than asked. "That is not anything like water or blood or any watery thing ever."

I laughed, remembering the time that I had brought soda along with my 'ninja snacks' back to the feudal era for my traveling companions to try. Their reaction was very similar, even Shippo refused to drink it after his first taste.

"Souta?" came a shaky voice I could only associate with grandpa. He came in from the front entrance and into the kitchen, pleasantly surprised to find me standing at the counter and a little shocked to see the tanned, rugged-looking man behind me. It probably didn't help his shock to see our attire... "Why, Kagome! I've just come from your school!" He shuffled over in his traditional haori and hakama to hug me over my shoulders despite his short stature.

My mother ran in after hearing 'Kagome' and quickly embraced me after grandpa had let go. "We thought that something might have happened to you! We've been expecting you to come back for days!" She finally let me breath by stepping back and caught a glimpse of the imposing demon behind me. "Are you from the Feudal Era?"

Kouga looked confused, well, more confused at her question, and I answered for him, "Yeah, he is, mom. This is Kouga, and he is a wolf demon."

"Oh my!" mom gasped, looking Kouga over from head to toe. "But I thought that only Inuyasha could come through the well?"

"I thought that too, but he is a demon, with a strong demonic energy and he also has jewel shards. So maybe that is the key to being able to get through the well," I explained while ushering Kouga to sit with us at the table.

Grandpa seemed hesitant to be friendly with the obviously powerful demon, but kept his thoughts to himself, which I was relieved about. It helped that Kouga's manners toward my family were a lot more forgivable than Inuyasha's rude demeanor. That dog.

My family and Kouga exchanged polite questions until it was time to make dinner. Kouga was then entertained by my mother's cooking and asked me if I could show his tribe some of the food mom was cooking. I happily agreed to what I could, and tried to explain why I couldn't for other items. He tried valiantly to use chopsticks, succeeding only a few times before we gave in permission to eat with his hands. (More like claws, for he preferred to poke an item of food with a sharp nail and pull the food off of it.)

It was a pleasant dinner, with a not-so-ordinary conversation, but still good. Kouga even curbed his language without me warning him, like I usually had to do with THAT DOG. (Even though Kouga's language normally didn't include nasty profanities.)

After the dinner table dispersed, I took Kouga to my room to try and make a dent in my piled homework. It wasn't easy missing so much of your last year of high school. I was quite surprised when mom did not issue a 'door-must-stay-open' liturgy. I herded Kouga into my room while I relieved myself and changed into modern clothes in the adjacent bathroom, and came back to my room to find Kouga poking cautiously at my pink comforter.

"It's a bed," I said as I sat on my desk chair.

"Interesting... Humans have changed the world, then?" Kouga stated more than asked. He decided that the pink fluffy comforter was not going to attack, and sat on it, pulling his legs up and sitting cross-legged.

"A lot is different. The most change came within the last hundred years," I got to work on some daunting math, biting my pencil between problems.

Kouga, though more patient than the dog that usually sat on my bed, grew bored and antsy. "Where have all the demons gone? And the trees?"

I glanced at him over my shoulder, trying to answer as best I could, "I'm not sure where all the demons went... if there are still any demons, they are likely in hiding. As for the trees... humans had to make room for themselves."

No matter how long I know Kouga, his speed still astounds me. He used his incredible speed to catch me off guard and sniff at my head. "You still smell like a big oak tree. It's good."

Slightly uncomfortable, and still embarrassed by our brief kiss, I shrugged him away. "I suppose there are worse things to smell like," I hoped he didn't hear the nervousness in my laughter.

"It smells wonderful Kagome... it's so... you. I love it," he bent next to bring his face to mine, and ran a set of claws through my raven hair. "Am I... a friend to you, Kagome?"

I looked into his wonderfully blue eyes and said, "Of course, Kouga."

"I want to be the greatest friend you've ever had, Kagome," he practically purred my name. "_Kagome..._" he said again, this time in his foreign wolf language.

At this point, math was forgotten and my pencil was idly placed on my desk.

He used his unoccupied hand to brace himself on my desk chair, and turned me to face him fully. "Do you know that wolves know their mates by scent?" he continued bringing his face closer to my own, which did not really bother me.

"I think Kotone mentioned it..." she told me about the male wolf demons' ability to smell their future mate and how differently they act around that person. At the time, I didn't really believe it, but now I think there's at least some truth in it.

"I mean it when I say that you're my woman."

I couldn't really deny it, or him, for that matter, and gave into his gentle kiss.

He pulled back and kissed my cheek tenderly while continuously running his claws through my loose hair. "Us wolves mate for life,_ Kagome.._." He kissed me again on the lips, leaving me wanting more. "I want you for life. Forever."

No matter how much I wanted to give into his touching words and gentle kisses, I knew I had to stop. "Kouga, I can't do this. Not now..." I looked into his heartbreaking blue eyes and held my ground.

He kissed me once more, and I allowed it. "Whatever you need, Kagome, whatever you want... I'd die to provide for you." He was more genuine in this moment than ever before.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and gave him a sincere hug. "Thank you, Kouga. You've already been so kind to me and offered me everything I could possibly want," I pulled back a bit to look back into his eyes before continuing, "I'll tell you when I can honestly give you what you deserve in return of your kindness..."

"I will never ask for anything from you, Kagome. Not even jewel detection," he smiled, trying to lighten the intense mood.

I hugged him again, then politely told him that I had to get back to my work. He watched as I scribbled down answers and notes, and limited his questions, much to my gratitude.

I don't know when I dozed off, but I found myself nestled in my bed with the morning sun beginning to shine through my window. I turned to look at my digital alarm clock and decided that it was a decent time to get out of bed.

I flipped the comforter off to the side and swung my legs out, barely missing a snoozing wolf demon on the floor. It didn't really surprise me to find him there, it was just kind of funny. What did make me do a double take was his lack of armor. His broad chest was viewable for my entertainment. And entertain me it did.

I had obviously seen well-formed, half-naked males in my lifetime. Especially those of Miroku and Inuyasha. While theirs were quite impressive, Kouga's left me dumbfounded. I felt dirtier than the monk as I looked at his muscled chest and abs. If I ever really felt turned on, it was then.

The sight almost made me wish his ever-present brown pelt was off as well.

I followed the lines of his left arm, which was thrown over his forehead, and found myself staring into blue eyes.

"Like what you see?"

His voice had never been more appealing, and I'm sure my face had never been more red.

* * *

A/n: I am an awful person. It's been over a year. Thanks if you have kept with this, I certainly do not deserve your loyalty.

Have faith, I now have my own laptop and can write as I please. Updates should now be at least semi-regular.


	10. Chapter 10

After a severely awkward moment when I realized that Kouga had indeed known I was mentally raping him, I hopped over his laid-out form to grab my school clothes.

No doubt he could smell certain things emanating from me... crap.

I quickly changed into one of my spare high school uniforms, considering the one I'd worn five days before was still centuries away from my grasp. I peaked into my room to find Kouga with his normal armor on and smirking at me.

He kept smirking all through our 'unusual' breakfast, as Kouga called it. I then explained that I had to go to school for the day and left him in the care of my mother. He didn't seem too happy to see me leave without him, but didn't complain like another demon I know.

I spent the day turning in late homework assignments, garnering more homework, dodging Hojo, and giving excuses to my friends. Friends who kept bugging me about my two-timing, silver-haired, gang-driven boyfriend. Not helpful to my mental state, especially since the interrogation went on between ever-trying lectures.

When my final class ended, I basically ran back home. I didn't really know why I was so determined to get home quickly that day, but I think it was to assure myself that Inuyasha wasn't the one waiting for me.

Souta beat me home from my old middle school and greeted me in the kitchen with a smile and handed me a handwritten note from my mom.

It said:

_I took Kouga out to the market, be back soon after you get home. Love, mom._

"What?" I practically yelled, scaring Souta a bit.

"It'll be fine, Kagome. Inuyasha goes out all the time when you're not around," he tried to calm me down as I furiously dialed my mother's cell phone number.

While it rang, I heard the front doors slide open and the familiar voices of my wolf demon and mother.

My wolf demon?

"Kagome? Souta? Are you both home?" my mother called, then saw both of us round a corner into their sight.

Then I saw Kouga, in modern clothes. (I would have killed my mother if she had taken him out in that fur skirt and armor... Inuyasha looked weird enough in his fire rat robe.) His hair was the same, minus his trademark furry headband, making me even more curious as to whether the matching leg-warmer things came off. He wore one of my dad's old t-shirts, even though it was a couple of sizes too small and showed off his muscled arms. He also wore some black slacks, from my father or brother I wasn't sure, but they were a tad too short for his height. His feet were bare, however. Guess mom couldn't convince him to put shoes on or she was worried that his sharp toenails would tear through.

He looked a bit odd, at least he did to me. But it was cute.

Then I asked, "Where's your tail at?"

He grinned and turned to show off his larger-than-normal butt.

"We made it seem like he had a large backside," my mom giggled, then told Kouga he could pull his tail out, making him sigh in relief.

"It hurts to have it all folded up like that," he said, then gave his tail a few strokes, then letting it fall back behind him. I wondered if his tail could feel loving strokes...

We walked back to the kitchen and put away the groceries as we talked.

"I can't believe you took him out, mom!" I said as I tried to discretely catch glances at Kouga's form.

"Well, he wanted to see a little more of the world, and he blended in just fine. He fit pretty well in your father's old clothes," she smiled back at Kouga. "He was quite the gentleman. I'll have to go out and get him some better-fitting clothes for next time."

I knew I should have said that there would not be a 'next time,' but I really wanted there to be a next time. My family, even grandpa, liked Kouga. They never spoke of Inuyasha like this.

Souta wanted to show Kouga some of his video games, giving me and mom a good opportunity to talk.

"Kagome, Kouga told me about Inuyasha and you," she said, turning from her preparations to make dinner to face me.

I turned as well, then sat, feeling where this conversation was going. "What did he tell you?"

"How he found you. How you stayed with him... and what happened with Inuyasha," she sat as well, then put her frail hand on my bow-calloused one. "Kagome, are you alright?"

I nodded, thinking about the last five days in my head. "I found Inuyasha being intimate with Kikyo, and then, after I had been with Kouga for awhile, he was perfectly comfortable with her in the travel group."

She waited, encouraging me to go on silently.

"But... while it still feels awful that he wants Kikyo... I think I am okay with it. Kouga's been with me... and has been nothing but wonderful to me... Everything is just kind of fuzzy and it all has happened so fast."

"Well, darling... I did like Inuyasha, but after he has hurt you, and is okay with hurting you, I don't really like him anymore."

"Mom..."

"Seriously, Kagome. I only want someone to be with you if they are wholly dedicated to you, and they treat you like you are the only woman that they have eyes for," she thought for a moment, keeping her hand on mine. Then she went on, "Your father was like that. To me, it seems, Kouga is very similar. He only told me about how much he admires you, and adores you, Kagome. I mean, if he wasn't from the feudal era, I'd think he was overly obsessed with you. He has been nothing but polite to all of us. Has he always been this way?"

I smiled, and said, "Yes. He even made a point to seek out my traveling group to see me, or even give me flowers. And I found out from another wolf demon that he gave me his bed and had been sleeping on the floor. Every person in his tribe respects him... but I feel like if I were to pursue a relationship with him, it wouldn't be totally honest. I'd feel guilty."

"Inuyasha obviously doesn't feel guilty."

Ouch.

"What's keeping you from Kouga, Kagome? Even an old lady like me can see attraction between you two."

I thought about my answer, and said, "If I were to chose to be with Kouga, it would be forever, mom. And he's so serious about it."

"Forever? Girls around here would kill for a promise like that, especially from super-model material like Kouga," her eyebrows wiggled, making me laugh.

"Wolves 'mate for life,' and have some pretty unusual methods to find and obtain their mates, mom," I said, seriously, then paused. "He is kind of super-model material, isn't he? Especially with his chest exposed..."

"Kagome? Don't tell me you've done-"

"No, no, mom," I quickly stopped her. "He just slept without his armor on last night. No worries," I assured her, "he slept on the floor and I slept in my bed."

My mom's lips pursed, and then turned to a smile. "Well, that's a bit of a let-down."

"Mom!"

"What? I'm not that old, I can appreciate a well-crafted man when I see one!"

I walked into the living room to tell Kouga and Souta that dinner was ready. Instead of the video-game playing I had expected, I found Kouga showing Souta how to kick somebody in the gut with impeccable precision. Souta wasn't too bad either...

"Hey, Kagome," Kouga smiled even though Souta had landed a good kick to his gut. Oh, to have demon strength...

"Dinner's ready, you two," I said smiling at them both. "Souta, would you run out to tell grandpa?"

After he had obediently run off, I walked up to Kouga and hugged him around the middle.

"Thanks for the affection, Kagome. Not that I'm ungrateful or anything but...?"

"Thanks for being so kind to my family. And me, Kouga," I said.

He accepted without hesitation and brought his arms up to encircle me back and rested his face on top of my head. "I told you I'd do anything for you. And I like your family."

I smiled and pulled away, almost feeling regret that I had to let go. "Come on, once dinner's done, we should make our way back to your time," I said, then led him by his clawed hand to the kitchen. Then, realizing that he did not have the furry arm warmers on his forearm, turned back to face him. "Kouga, don't you usually have fur on your arms, and on your forehead?"

"Yes...?"

"Do they come off? The ones on your legs too?" I asked, finally asking the question that had been bothering me since I'd met him.

"Yes, the do. You thought those were attached to me?"

"I wasn't sure... they always confused me."

He smiled and then began to lead me to the kitchen, and said, "Well, I'm glad you can now imagine me without those articles of clothing too."

* * *

A/n: That last line makes me giggle. Is it okay to giggle at your own writing? I hope so.

Anywhoo... This chapter represented the fifth day of the stroy, by the way. (In case you've lost count.) Inuyasha & Co. will show up soon, so don't dispair. Except for the whole Kikyo thing. Feel free to dispair over her, because I hate her. With a burning passion.


End file.
